The
AHCA/NCAL Preliminary Program is now available. You can download a copy or
review it online. Watch your mailboxes this week for a copy. Get an overview of
the exciting education sessions, guest speakers, networking events, and Expo
Hall. Be
sure to attend ID/DD Day sessions on Tuesday, October 15th!
Don’t wait
to register! Save $100 on all Premium/Full Meeting Registration packages when
you do Early Bird Registration. Other Early Bird savings may apply depending on
your registration type. You can save an
additional $100 on registration when you stay at a hotel in the AHCA/NCAL room
block. That's a minimum savings of $200
if you register by July 26th. Learn more
about all of your registration
options and reserve your spot today.
On
Tuesday, October 15, during the 70th AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo, special
programming for ID/DD providers include sessions focused on leadership and
accountability, workforce challenges, and ethics. You'll also have great opportunities for networking
and sharing ideas and experiences. It is
just one of many special events taking place over the four-day convention in
October. More information can be found here.
On June 4,
2019, 590 long term and post-acute care providers in 48 states were recognized
with the 2019 Bronze - Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care
Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The Bronze award is the first of three
distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program,
which honors long term and post-acute care providers that have demonstrated
their commitment to improving the quality of care for seniors and individuals
with disabilities.
Implemented
by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the
core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which
is also the basis of the metric-based AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative. The Baldrige program helps organizations
across different business sectors use strategies to improve performance and
organizational effectiveness. A full
list of the recipients is available on the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website here.
The
American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living has joined
with other members of the Medical Expense Deduction Coalition, including AARP,
on a letter to lawmakers who introduced bipartisan legislation in the House and
Senate to make permanent the 7.5 percent threshold for the medical expense
deduction. The coalition sent the
correspondence to Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) in
support of H.R. 2073 in the House and to Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and
Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to back companion legislation in the Senate, S. 110. In the House, the bill was referred to the
Ways and Means Committee for further action and in the Senate to the Finance
Committee.
In the
correspondence, the coalition said for the past 75 years, people with high
health care costs have been able to deduct medical expenses from their taxes. And, for the approximately 4.4 million
Americans who annually do this, the deduction provides important tax relief in
helping to offset the costs of acute and chronic medical conditions for older
Americans, children, pregnant women, and other adults, as well as the costs
associated with long term care and assisted living. You can read more on this Coalition effort
and the medical expense deduction in this Provider
article.
AHCA's Research Department has released the following
June 2018 updates for use by AHCA/NCAL members (Login Required):
The standard health survey
report includes Emergency Preparedness (E-tags) this year for the first
time. If you have any questions relating
to these reports, which include important ICF/IID state and national data,
please contact AHCA’s Research Director, Kiran Sreenivas.
AHCA/NCAL began
a new social media advocacy initiative this year and is encouraging all members
to get involved. The effort focuses on
improving the overall image of the post-acute and long term care profession by
sharing positive stories and pushing back on pieces that attempt to tie all
providers to isolated negative events.
AHCA/NCAL will
be sending interested members tips for getting more involved on social media,
best practices for posting content, sample posts, and a roundup of positive
stories about the profession on a regular basis. Individuals who want to get
involved should email socialmedia@ahca.org to get on
the mailing list. AHCA/NCAL is encouraging all members to get involved.
The
campaign also will include a rapid response to stories that are unfairly
negative about the profession or do not accurately portray the reality of
post-acute and long term care. AHCA/NCAL
hopes to build on these successes as the year continues. With thousands of
buildings nationwide who touch the lives of millions of people, there is the
chance to seriously affect the way the profession is viewed and treated by
lawmakers and the media.
The National Association of States
United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) holds a monthly call or webinar
concerning topics of interest to those who work in the field of aging and
disability. One of the past calls focused on resources
for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers. Information about
future calls, and audio recording of previous ones, can be found here.
July
2019 marks, among other observances, Eye Injury
Prevention Month, UV Safety Month,
Juvenile
Arthritis Awareness Month, and Cord Blood
Awareness Month. The 2019
Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.
